Technical Rescue Team

The Chesapeake Fire Department's Technical Rescue Team is part of the Division of Special Operations and includes the members at Fire Station 15 "Bells Mill", as well as members of Ladder Co. 2 "Portlock", Ladder Co. 5 "Great Bridge", and Ladder Co. 12 "Western Branch". These members all receive training in Rope Rescue, Trench Rescue, Confined Space Rescue, Vehicle Rescue, and Structure Collapse Rescue.

They respond to any incident in the City that involves the entanglement or rescue of civilians or firefighters trapped in precarious situations. This may include vehicle entrapments, industrial accidents, train, plane, or tractor trailer accidents, building collapse, and any other situation requiring heavy lifting, cutting, and prying equipment as well as below and above grade rescue.

The members at Station 15 are also part of the Tidewater Regional Technical Rescue Team or TRTRT. The Tidewater Regional Technical Rescue Team is a specialized rescue organization serving Southeastern Virginia. Highly trained firefighters and rescue personnel from the Tidewater cities of Chesapeake, Norfolk, Portsmouth, Virginia Beach, Franklin, the Norfolk Naval Base and Little Creek Amphibious Base participate as team members. This organization was formed in the event a technical incident of large magnitude occurs. If the incident is large enough that it is beyond the capability of a single team then a mutual aid request is made to bring in additional technical rescue teams from the Tidewater region.

In addition some Chesapeake Firefighters are members of Virginia Task Force 2 Urban Search and Rescue Team as well as Disaster Medical Assistance Team VA1DMAT. These members may be called upon to respond anywhere in the United States to perform special rescue and medical services. Our members have responded to the 1996 Olympics in Atlanta, 2002 Olympics Salt Lake City, multiple hurricane disasters in Florida, Alabama, Louisiana, and Texas, as well as the terrorist attacks at The Pentagon, World Trade Center, and Alfred P. Murrah Federal Building in Oklahoma City.